[*BCM*] grim scenes saturday... any news?

[turrican]

What about a $5 light?

Being seen might have avoided the accident in the first place..


On Sun, Aug 2, 2009 at 12:18 PM, Greg Howard<greg.howard at gmail.com> wrote:
> not wearing a helmet is simply idiotic -- to call it optional is
> disingenuous at best.  And many local hospitals or other organizations
> will sell you one (admittedly an ugly one) for $5; BUMC used to do
> that.  It would be helpful for BNB or Massbike to be able to refer
> folks to who and where sells them cheaply.
>
> however, as Turtle says, a helmet won't stop cars from hitting you.
> They will protect your fragile brain, but only within a relatively
> narrow range of impacts.  The emphasis in the press on whether a
> cyclist was wearing a helmet is, more often than not, pure
> blame-the-victim.  If someone flattens you with a Hummer, or hits you
> at faster than about 20mph, it hardly matters.
>
> Everyone should wear helmets.  But overemphasis on helmet use and
> promotion is a band-aid solution for planners and public health folks
> who can't see any bigger picture view of cyclist safety.
>
>
> greg
>
>
> On Sun, Aug 2, 2009 at 12:06 PM, Spike Mccue<spikemccue at gmail.com> wrote:
>> That the car driver was not wearing a helmet seems absurdly beside the
>> point. Do you really think helmets are optional? Preventing brain damage and
>> death has always seemed rather important to me.
>>
>>
>>
>> On Aug 2, 2009, at 11:56 AM, Matt Woolhouse <matwoolhouse at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>> And
>> not everyone can afford one, even when they want one.
>> I just bought a helmet for $40.
>> I've been to many bike stores in the area and
>> they are relatively cheap.
>> -M
>> ________________________________
>> From: Turtle <turtle at thewiseturtle.com>
>> To: Boston Critical Mass <list at bostoncriticalmass.org>
>> Sent: Sunday, August 2, 2009 11:49:59 AM
>> Subject: Re: [*BCM*] grim scenes saturday... any news?
>>
>> Another lesson in not hugging the right side of the road, unless
>> you're turning right.  It's impossible to say if the car driver had
>> just passed the cyclist and cut him off, or if the bike driver was
>> trying to pass the car driver on the right.  Either way, this kind of
>> thing is easily preventable (i.e. it's not an "accident") when
>> everyone follows the normal rules of the road of making a right turn
>> from the rightmost side of the road, and passing on the left.
>>
>> Also, isn't it interesting that even cyclists feel it's important to
>> point out when others cyclists aren't wearing helmets.  Presumably the
>> car driver wasn't either, but no one bothers to mention that.  Helmets
>> are optional.  And they don't stop cars from crashing into you.  And
>> not everyone can afford one, even when they want one.  And, even when
>> worn correctly (which the vast majority aren't) they can still cause
>> more problems than they solve (limited visibility being one of them).
>> I do choose to wear one, but I don't believe it's particularly
>> important in the grand scheme of things (except when it comes to my
>> husband, because I'm kind of irrational around him, and because he's
>> sort of a car magnet, and gets hit far more than most folks).
>>
>> Just my two cents.
>>
>> Hopefully everyone will learn something from this unpleasant mistake.
>>
>> Peace, Love, and Bicycles,
>> Turil
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